The Road to Sacramento
by rebeccavis
Summary: Robert and Kitty McCallister take on their next challenge after Robert fails to win the Republican nomination for president.
1. Part I

**The Road to Sacramento**

**Characters: **Robert and Kitty, planned cameos from other Brothers and Sisters characters.   
**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of these characters, I just love writing about them.  
**A/N: **I decided to write this because I loved Kitty and Robert as a couple and after Robert's death in the show I feel like there's just so much untapped potential for some really interesting stories, so I'm giving my best shot at telling one I hope you'll all like. As you'll probably be able to tell, this first part is essentially an extension of a scene from the beginning of episode 2x13 "Separation Anxiety", but from then onwards I plan to continue in my own way so this will be AU. I'd really like to continue writing it for as long as I have ideas and as long as people are interested :) Reviews are very much appreciated.  
**  
Part I**

Kitty Walker McCallister gently ran her hands down the lapels of her husband's best suit, carefully smoothing them out before her eyes met his and a small smile appeared on her face. Part of her wanted to say something, but the look he gave her in return told her she didn't need to for the moment.

"Isaac said he'd come in and tell me when they're ready," Robert explained quietly before he too smiled, "You look good in red."

"Well, thank you. I think we're doing a pretty good job coordinating," Kitty, nodding very slightly towards Robert's tie. The shade of it matched her dress almost perfectly even though she could swear she hadn't been thinking of that when she'd been choosing what to wear. Instead there had been about a hundred different worries on her mind, most of which she realised would very soon be gone. She was partly relieved, yet at the same time she knew she would miss being in the heart of all the action.  
"Robert," she said softly, "Whenever you want to talk about what's next, just let me know."

Robert didn't say anything at first and instead leant forwards to kiss his wife's lips gently. He firmly believed that this wasn't the end, but deep down he knew that he'd lost the battle and it was time to make a strategic withdrawal.  
"I will. But just for now I'm happy staying where I am," he affirmed, registering the look of slight surprise on Kitty's face at his words. Before he had the chance to say anything else, however, Isaac had made his way in and was patting him gently on the shoulder.  
"Taylor's waiting for you to give your speech," Isaac said with a smile, "You're good to go."  
Robert glanced up at Isaac and then nodded mostly to himself after the other man had walked away. His serious expression slowly softened again as he exchanged a glance with his wife.  
"You ready?" he asked her.

"Yeah," Kitty replied, briefly glancing down and adding, "Yeah, I'm...I'm ready if you are."

"OK," Robert said simply. He felt almost ready to go outside, but just before he was able to take a full step, Kitty took hold of his forearm and met his gaze again.

"I'm proud of you," she said gently, causing a broad, earnest smile to appear on her husband's face.

"Thank you," Robert said in return. He touched her arm gently then took a deep breath and confidently walked out with Kitty just behind him.

The noise of the crowd that greeted Robert McCallister as he emerged didn't faze him, though he had to admit that in his head the announcement he was about to make to the journalists and supporters in front of him had always been quite different. One aspect which remained the same, however, was that in his head he had always been smiling, and the smile that was on his face now as he stepped up to the podium was for his wife and for the people of California.  
"Thank you, California. It is great to be back home!" he announced loudly, pausing for a moment before he continued, "I have so many people that I want to thank, but first I want to acknowledge the heart and the soul of this campaign – my wife, Kitty McCallister."

As Kitty broke into a grin, Robert turned around and kissed her on the lips once more. Several cheers of 'McCallister' came shortly after he'd pulled away from her but for a few brief moments as he looked at her it seemed like no one else was around. When he turned towards the podium again, he knew exactly what he had to say and he was most definitely ready.

"I just got off the phone with Congressman Taylor. I congratulated him on all of his victories," Robert declared, adding when a few jeers came from the crowd, "No, no. He ran a great a campaign and he deserves our respect._  
Tonight he crossed the threshold. He has the delegates to be our party's nominee. And so tonight, I am suspending my campaign for the Republican nomination for president_."


	2. Part II

**A/N: **A slightly smaller chapter, but I hope you enjoy it. Is this me making up for the fact that in Brothers and Sisters there were several scenes of Justin/Rebecca in bed but hardly any of Robert/Kitty? Maybe. :)  
**  
Part II**

"_Tonight he crossed the threshold. He has the delegates to be our party's nominee. And so tonight, I am suspending my campaign for the Republican nomination for president_."  
The television in the McCallisters' house in Santa Barbara was showing Robert's withdrawal from the presidential race yet again, but nobody was watching it and the living room was completely empty save for a white shirt which had somehow ended up on the floor. There was a tie lying a few feet away from it and various other items of clothing formed a trail through the hallway and up the stairs. It ended by the open door of the dimly-lit bedroom, where Kitty was currently lying entangled in the bedsheets and wrapped around her husband.

"Weren't you going to have a shower?" Kitty commented, the hint of a smile on her face betraying her tone of voice. It was harder to pretend to be serious when she could feel Robert's hands running slowly down her thighs.

"I was," Robert replied, smiling back coyly, "Then I had a much better idea."

"You mean _we_ had a better idea. You know, I'd almost forgotten what this was like," Kitty remarked, laughing when Robert looked slightly confused, "I mean having some spare time, Robert. Not needing to worry about when our next flight is."

"Of course. I guess that's one of the perks of not running for president," Robert commented playfully, "The only downside is that you can't call me Commander-in-Chief."

"Well, I could always go back to calling you Senator," Kitty replied, "_Senator_."

"I don't remember you ever saying it quite like_ that_," Robert said with a smile as his hands moved up Kitty's back. He lifted her up slightly and lowered his head to exchange a kiss with his wife before his lips moved down to her chin and her neck.

"Your kids aren't coming until tomorrow morning, right?" Kitty murmured, her eyes closing momentarily.

"Uh-huh," Robert whispered back, "Like you said, nothing to worry about. It's just you and me tonight."

"Robert," Kitty spoke up suddenly as something occurred to her, "What's Isaac going to do now that the campaign's over?"

Robert slowly pulled away from his wife upon hearing her words and glanced downwards at her, a slightly confused expression returning to his face.  
"Well, I guess that depends on him," he remarked, "I could offer him a job on my staff, but I don't know if he'd take it."

"I think you should," Kitty agreed with a nod, "No, that'd be perfect. Then he can stay here in California, and my mother can..."

"Honey," Robert interrupted gently, "I know that you're worried about your mom being lonely and everything, but d'you really want to talk about her and Isaac right _now_?"

"Good point," Kitty conceded, pausing for a moment before she took Robert's face in her hands and kissed him deeply on the lips. There was a lot she needed to discuss with her husband – like whether he still wanted to start a family with her, and whether he was considering campaigning for office again soon – but there would be plenty of time for that later. Just for now, she felt like she could probably get used to this.


	3. Part III

**A/N:** Walker time! The rest of the Walkers are starting to appear. This chapter turned out longer than I had planned but I had fun writing it so I hope you all like it too. Reviews are very much appreciated.

**Part III**

Sarah Walker's elegant yet sensible high heels were making a soft sound against the floor of the Ojai Foods building as she paced her office. Graham Finch had left about five minutes ago and since then Sarah had been slowly making her way from one side of her desk to the other, deep in thought.  
There were times when Sarah doubted the decision her father had made when he'd left her as president of Ojai Foods and this was one of them. She had the MBA and she was fairly confident of her intelligence, but occasionally she couldn't help but wonder if she was missing the business instincts Tommy had acquired from working at Ojai for so long. Nonetheless, her pride wouldn't let her discuss her dilemma with Tommy, at least not yet. It occurred to her it might help her to bounce some ideas off of one of her other siblings, and she finally sat down in her desk chair once more. Sarah reached for her phone and hesitated for a moment before she dialled the number for her sister's cell. She was anticipating having to leave a message on Kitty's answering machine, but was quite surprised when her sister picked up instead.

"Hello, Sarah," Kitty's voice said on the other end of the line, preceded by a gentle laugh. She sounded, at least in Sarah's opinion, quite unlike herself – calm, relaxed and perhaps even content.

"Hi, Kitty," Sarah replied, her brow furrowing slightly, "I wasn't expecting you to actually answer. Slow day at work?"

"Work? Oh, no," Kitty said breezily, "I'm not at...what is it, Robert?"

"Is everything OK with Sarah?" Robert's voice could be heard to say in the background, "And why are you standing over there? I really don't think your sister will mind if you take her call in bed."

"Bed?" Sarah echoed, glancing at the clock just to confirm that it was in fact ten in the morning, "Are you sick or something?"

"No, I'm not sick," Kitty replied with a laugh, "We're working from home and going in after lunch. Robert's flying to Washington tomorrow and it's a Friday, so we thought..."

"Oh my God," Sarah remarked, "You're taking the morning off work and staying in bed? OK, who are you and what have you done to my sister?"

"It was Robert's idea," Kitty pointed out in a tone that Sarah knew would be accompanied by a despairing look, "I don't know what the big deal is."

"There's no big deal. Though I am just a little jealous," Sarah replied, "That's the kind of thing you do with your lover, Kitty, not your husband."

"Honey, Sarah thinks I have a lover," Kitty informed Robert casually as she took her husband's advice and sat back down again. Her laptop was perched on the very end of their bed and she had temporarily wrapped a bedsheet around herself.

"Well, she's a little late to the party. I've known about him for a while now," Robert replied from where he was sat reading a newspaper, "From what I heard he was a presidential candidate but then you left him and settled for a lowly senator."

"See, Sarah, you don't need to worry. He's fine with it," Kitty told her sister, "So, is everything alright?"

"Kind of," Sarah replied, "I didn't really know who to call, but I thought that..."

"Oh, sorry, Sarah, just one second," Kitty interrupted, "Someone's calling me. Don't go anywhere."  
Before Sarah had time to answer, Kitty had lowered her cell phone and switched it to the incoming call, which turned out to be from none other than her brother.  
"Hi, Kevin," she said, "Can I call you back later? I'm talking to Sarah."

"That's great," Kevin replied sarcastically, "Hey, when I decide to round up all of the eligible Republican men in the country do you think she'll be on my side?"

"What are you talking about, Kevin?" Kitty queried before she teased Kevin, "Do you want to keep them all for yourself?"

"No, I want to stop them from getting within ten feet of Mom," Kevin explained, "Do you know what's going on with her? Ever since Isaac got back I've barely even talked to her."

"Well, Kevin, Mom's been alone for quite a long time and if she's found someone that makes her happy then I think we should be supportive," Kitty stated, "She's probably just enjoying having some company for once."

"She has us!" Kevin pointed out, "And you sound just like Scotty."

"I mean besides her kids, Kevin," Kitty replied, "Anyway, look, I need to get back to Sarah."

"Wait, I just realised Sarah will probably be on your side," Kevin commented, "Especially since lately she's been spending nearly all her time with Graham."

"What? Graham?" Kitty exclaimed, causing Robert to glance at her with a puzzled expression, "Just a second, Kevin."  
Shaking her head slightly, Kitty brought her phone down from her ear again and switched the call back to Sarah, launching immediately into an accusation.  
"Why didn't you tell me about Graham?" she asked her sister, "This is _the_ Graham, right? The one working with Ojai? When did this happen?"

"Whoa, Kitty, slow down. I'm sorry, I haven't really told anyone about Graham yet," Sarah admitted, lowering her voice, "It just kind of...happened. It was the day my divorce papers arrived, and...who told you, anyway?"

"Kevin," Kitty replied, "Who else?"

"Of course," Sarah remarked, "Well, Kevin knows because...well, there was a bar and karaoke and Scotty's friends told me to _Believe_...it's kind of a long story."

"Wait, a bar? Karaoke? And Sarah, if you're having a secret romance with Graham, why did you say you were jealous of...?" Kitty started before she had to interrupt herself this time, "Hold on."  
Robert had put down his newspaper momentarily and was watching Kitty with a very puzzled expression on his face while she switched who she was talking to again.  
"Hello," Kitty said, meeting Robert's eyes while she spoke and shaking her head again, "Mom, is that you?"

"No, Kitty, it's Justin," came the reply, "Listen, are you doing anything tomorrow?"

"No, I don't think so," Kitty replied, "Why, is there something you want to do?"

"I was just wondering if I could stay at your place for tomorrow night," Justin explained, lowering his voice slightly, "Isaac kind of hinted that he's got plans for Mom and I think I really ought to be out of the house."

"Of course you can, Justin. Robert won't even be here tomorrow night," Kitty explained to her younger brother, "I actually just had a phone call from Kevin about Mom. I think he's worried that Mom's not going to have any time for us now that she's got Isaac."

"I don't know what Kevin's complaining about," Justin remarked adding half-jokingly, "At least he's not a lonely loser who lives with his mom. I can't believe I'm the youngest person in this family and I'm the only one who can't get laid. You heard about Sarah, right?"

"Kevin just told me," Kitty replied, "And get this – just before, Sarah was telling me how jealous she was of the fact that I'm staying in with Robert this morning."

"You're staying home from work?" Justin queried with a laugh, "Kitty, what's happening to you?"

"Oh, shut up," Kitty said, "Look, I really should get back to Sarah because she's still on hold. Don't worry, you can come over tomorrow."

"Thanks, Kitty," Justin said before he remarked playfully, "You've been AWOL for a few days, too, you know. Careful you don't pull a Mom and abandon us all for your guy. Kevin'll get mad at you."

Kitty rolled her eyes slightly with a smile and bid Justin goodbye before she returned to Sarah. Robert, meanwhile, was starting to wonder if this conversation was ever going to end and also couldn't help but notice that Kitty's sheet was slipping down her chest slightly.

"Sorry, Sarah. That was Justin wanting to talk about Mom and Isaac," Kitty explained to her sister, "You know, I thought Kevin was just being dramatic about the whole thing but maybe he's right. Maybe now with Isaac we'll just have to accept that Mom'll be a little less available."

"Well, I hope Mom and Isaac can be happy together. I need her as proof that there's life after marriage," Sarah remarked dryly, "Anyway, Kitty, the reason I called was because I wanted to know if you were free to come over to the house tomorrow for coffee or l."

"Uh, sure, Sarah," Kitty replied, "Do you need someone to babysit or something?"

"No, just to talk," Sarah said, "I feel like it's been a long time since we really talked."

"Well then I'm a little confused as to what we've been doing up until now," Kitty remarked, "But of course I can come. And you can tell me all about Graham."

"I can assure you Graham will be a part of the conversation," Sarah replied, "I'll see you tomorrow, Kitty."

Much to Robert's relief, Kitty had soon hung up and was turning her head to smile gently at him. It was just as she was leaning in for a kiss that she suddenly remembered something and pulled away again.

"I forget about Kevin!" she said as she quickly brought him back on the line, "Kevin! I'm so sorry. Justin called me and then I spoke to Sarah and..."

"You forgot about me. It's fine," Kevin replied, "There are advantages to being a lawyer. I'll get my revenge when you discover you've been left out of every Walker's will."

"Kevin!" Kitty exclaimed, just before she heard Kevin ask for a moment. She heard Scotty's muffled voice in the background but couldn't quite make out what he was saying. A short while later, Kevin returned to the phone and sounded very eager to say end the conversation.

"I'd better go now, Kitty," he said quickly, "I'll talk to you later about Mom. Bye!"

Kitty barely had time to say goodbye to Kevin before the dial tone on the other end of the line indicated he had hung up. She put down her phone next to the bed and leant back against the headboard, sighing heavily.

"You know," Robert remarked quietly, "I'm starting to think that politics isn't what stresses you out."

"They're hard to deal with sometimes. But hey, it's my family. When they're not bugging me I'm probably bugging them," Kitty remarked, slipping her hand into Robert's and slowly intertwining their fingers, "And politics is stressful, sometimes. Thankfully you're always there to balance everything out."

Robert smiled across at Kitty and leant forwards to kiss her on the lips, gently at first before she pulled him in closer. It wasn't long before Kitty had shifted onto her husband's lap and was still kissing him passionately, making the most of the time they had left together.

"I guess tomorrow it's back to Washington and back to reality," Kitty whispered, "Not that don't like my job. I love it most of the time, but sometimes...you know what? I've had enough of talking. I think no more talking for a while."

"Absolutely," Robert murmured back against Kitty's lips, "Oh, and Kitty? I'm going to miss this, too."


	4. Part IV

**A/N:** Another chapter that turned out longer than I had planned! I guess that's a good thing, right? I hope you guys are enjoying the direction in which I'm taking the story. Reviews as always are much appreciated. Thanks so much to SuperDooperMario for your reviews - I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Part IV**

Kitty Walker-McCallister noticed her husband's brow was slightly furrowed as she walked past him in the hallway reading what she presumed was a work-related document. Her lips formed a small smile before she moved to stand behind him and placed a hand on his waist, peering over his shoulder at what he was reading.

"Don't worry, it'll make more sense after you read it the second time," she teased him before she produced his glasses in her spare hand, "Or these might help."

"Oh, thanks, honey. I'd been looking for those," Robert said, smiling as he turned around and kissed Kitty quickly as he took his glasses from her. Almost before he realised what was happening, Kitty had slipped her other arm around him and her lips were on his again, lingering this time.

"Are you sure you don't want to come to Washington?" he asked as he gently pulled away.

"You know I'd love to," Kitty replied with a smile of her own, "But you have work to do and I have work to do and I have a feeling neither of us would get a whole lot of work done if I went with you. I'll stay here and keep an eye on things at the office."

"I suppose you have a point. There isn't anyone I trust more than you to keep things running smoothly," Robert conceded as he put the document he'd been reading away in his briefcase, "Speaking of the office, when I get back I'd like to do some restructuring."

"Restructuring?" Kitty echoed, looking slightly suspicious, "What kind of restructuring?"

"Don't worry, nothing major," Robert assured his wife, "But a few people need to go and you need promoting. On my next campaign I want you as my campaign manager."

"What? No, no. Robert, you can't do that," Kitty replied with a shake of her head, "It's bad enough that your wife's your communications director, you can't possibly..."

"Why not?" Robert interrupted Kitty, "It should've been you on the last campaign. Who else understands how to run a campaign as well as they understand the way I work? Nobody knows me better than you, Kitty. When I was losing focus in Michigan you knew that I needed my family to help me get back on track. I need you. For as long as we've been together you've never stood in the background or stayed at home while I was out campaigning – you've always been right there with me and I love that about you."

Kitty fell silent for a few moments, touched and also slightly stunned by what her husband had said. At the same time her mind was already a few steps ahead, thinking of the implications of his words.

"That's where I've always wanted to be," she admitted to him, pausing before she added, "You said the next campaign. Do you already know what the next campaign's going to be?"

"No. Well, not completely. I've had the beginnings of an idea," Robert explained, taking a deep breath before he said, "I've been thinking about running for Governor."

His words seemed to linger in the air after he'd spoken them, and while Kitty remained quiet and looked pensive, Robert took the opportunity to make his case.

"Nothing's set in stone yet. We need to discuss it first, of course. But Kitty, the more I think about it, the more I think it would be great for us," he said, "There wouldn't be anywhere near as many trips to Washington, for one thing."

Kitty couldn't help but smile slightly. She had to admit that campaigning across one state would be a lot more practical than campaigning across all of them, and if Robert won it wouldn't involve moving to the opposite side the country. She wouldn't admit it for the world – especially not to her mother – but she preferred living close to her family. In Michigan she had known that Robert needed his family because she knew she felt lost without hers. Plus, Kitty soon realised, there was one more advantage to settling down in California for four or more years.

"I'd like that," she admitted to Robert as her hazel eyes glanced up at him, "And it would make it a lot easier for us to start a family."

Now it was Robert's turn to fall silent for a moment. After she'd had her miscarriage Kitty had been certain that she wanted to have a child with her husband, but she'd always thought he'd seemed a little uncertain.

"I know you feel like you've done the whole kids thing already," she said gently as she moved her arms up to rest on Robert's shoulders, "And I love Jack and Sophia, you know I do. But they're not my children. And when I see you with them, you're such a great dad and I...I want us to have a baby, Robert."

"You would make a great mom, Kitty," Robert replied quietly as his arms wrapped around Kitty's waist, "And part of me really wants us to have a family of our own. But when I think of a baby in our lives, I...I don't know when the right time would be."

"Maybe there's no such thing as the right time," Kitty remarked, pausing before she suggested, "I'll tell you what. I'll think over what you said while you're in Washington and you can think over what I said, and then when you get back we can compare notes."

"This is starting to sound disturbingly like politics. But either way, I like your idea. I think you've got yourself a deal, Miss Walker," Robert remarked, laughing slightly as he brought Kitty in a little closer to kiss her goodbye, "Say hi to Sarah and to Justin for me."

"Oh, didn't you know? It's Mrs McCallister these days," Kitty informed Robert with a smile before she returned his kiss, "I will. Have a safe trip."

Kitty bid her husband goodbye before she followed him over to the front door, standing in the doorway and watching as he climbed into his car. She knew she'd have a lot to think about that night when she went to bed thanks to Robert, but especially after the past few days she knew the bed would be bigger and a lot colder without him. Once she had lost sight of her husband's car down the street, she slowly closed the door and headed upstairs to get changed for coffee with Sarah.


	5. Part V

**A/N: **I would just like to apologise for the lack of Robert in this chapter but unfortunately it was necessary and I hope you all still like it. He'll be in the next one (with a guest appearance from Jason McCallister) and I promise I'll make it up to you all when he gets back from Washington :D Reviews as always are very much appreciated. Thanks so much to my reviewers SuperDooperMario and sprangster.

**Part V****  
**  
Paige Whedon peered curiously over Kitty's shoulder, waiting patiently as her aunt wrote down what they had just discussed on a piece of paper in her small, neat handwriting. Once Kitty had finished, she handed the reminder over to Paige, who smiled broadly at her.  
"Thanks, Aunt Kitty," Paige declared, "I'm not so good at History. I think I like Math a lot more."

"Well, you're very welcome," Kitty replied with a smile back, "I guess you must take after your mom. Now I think you had better go get your homework done so it's out of the way and you don't have to worry about it anymore."

Paige nodded and was soon scurrying out of the kitchen with the paper Kitty had given her in her hand. Kitty herself let out a small sigh before she turned around in her seat and clasped her hands around the mug of coffee Sarah had just put down for her.

"Thanks for helping her with her homework," Sarah said as she took a seat opposite her sister, "It's sweet how she looks up to you."

"Well, if there's one thing I'm capable of helping with, it's History," Kitty remarked, glancing down at her coffee for a moment before she asked, "How do you do it, Sarah? You make being a mom look so easy."

"You know it's not always easy. But I love them more than I love anybody else in the world and that certainly helps when things are tough," Sarah replied calmly, soon guessing, "Kitty, have you and Robert started trying?"

"No. Well, I mean, we stopped being _careful_ a while ago, but we're not officially..." Kitty tried to explain, "It's complicated."

"Complicated why?" Sarah asked, raising an eyebrow slightly, "Are things OK between you two?"

"Things are good. Things are really great, actually," Kitty replied, "I thought...you know, I was prepared for him to be confused and distant after he lost the primary, but he hasn't been like that at all. He's been...relaxed. Playful, even. And Sarah, the past few nights...I don't know, I swear it's been like he's trying to make up for lost time or something. For all of it. For all the times we were interrupted by the phone ringing, for all the nights he didn't come home until I was already asleep, for all the quickies we had to have in...you don't even want to know. My point is that he's been sweet and generous and attentive and I should be happy. I am happy. I'm practically over the moon. But I'm starting to worry that I'm putting off discussing stuff that might lead to an argument because things are so good between us and I don't want to ruin it."

"So Robert's still not sure? But you two aren't running for President anymore," Sarah pointed out, "I always got the impression from you that the thing holding Robert back was the timing."

"It was, but it wasn't the only thing. And Sarah, I swear, there's a part of me that understands. He has two kids already and he wants to focus on his career, but I...I want this so badly. And I know that I'm running out of time," Kitty admitted, "But I guess this is what marriage is like, right? You can't always get what you want. You have to compromise."

"You do have to compromise, but Kitty, take it from me – there are some discussions you need to have. If you keep glossing over the issue then all of your feelings and his feelings are just going to build up under the surface and at least one of you is going to end up feeling resentful," Sarah advised, "If you're sure you want to have a baby then Robert needs to be one hundred percent sure, too."

"We did talk about it a little. He...he promised to think it over while he was in Washington," Kitty explained, pausing for a moment before she asked, "Sarah, what happens if he isn't one hundred percent sure?"

"Then you need to think about whether or not you can be happy just being a stepmom and an aunt. But you have to be honest with yourself and with him," Sarah replied, reaching forwards and reassuringly touching her sister's arm, "I think you'll work it out. You sound like you're in a good place. And I know, I need to stop comparing every marriage in the world with mine and Joe's."

"Well, I do appreciate the advice," Kitty said with a small smile, "But now it's my turn to listen and be the wise, supportive sister because I kind of got the feeling over the phone that there was something you wanted to talk about. And I'm hoping it involves Graham."

"It does, unfortunately," Sarah replied, running her hands through her hair, "Kitty, I don't know what I'm doing. He works for the company and I only just got a divorce."

"But Sarah, you and Joe have been separated for a long time and so what if he works for Ojai?" Kitty pointed out as she took another drink from her mug of coffee, "You know, technically I married my boss."

"Yeah, but Kitty, you're you. You could probably count on one hand the guys you've slept with who you didn't work with," Sarah pointed out, causing Kitty to nod in a resigned manner, "I just...I don't see a future with Graham. I don't see myself introducing him to the children and marrying him and it's bothering me."

"Who says you need to have a future with him?" Kitty queried, "You've just been through a long and painful divorce and you deserve to get back out there and have some fun. You are having fun, right?"

"Oh, yes. We're having _a lot _of fun," Sarah replied, a smirk appearing on her face momentarily, "You know, apart from in my imagination this is the first time I've had sex with someone other than Joe in the past ten years. I'd forgotten how great it was to be at that stage where everything's new and surprising."

"Well, familiar can be good, too," Kitty remarked, "I mean, just because you're married doesn't mean that you necessarily lose that passion and that fire."

"I don't know. All I know is that with Joe, the fire brigade had been called a long time ago," Sarah admitted, "Maybe you're right and maybe at this stage I do need a relationship that isn't too serious, but Graham...the problem is that Graham's been helping Ojai with a deal we're making with a company called Golden Plum."

"Right, the Chinese company," Kitty remembered, "What's wrong? I thought that deal was going pretty well."

"It's going really well," Sarah explained, "So well that Golden Plum wants to make another deal which would have us go from supplying ten of their stores to supplying two hundred."

"Sarah, that's fantastic," Kitty said after raising her eyebrows, "So are you not happy with their proposal or something?"

"No, I'm very happy with it. I just don't know if Ojai Foods can meet that kind of demand," Sarah explained, "And then there's Graham, who's behind the whole thing and I just don't know if...Kitty, what if it's a bad deal and I can't see that because I'm involved with him? What happens if I agree to it and something goes wrong?"

"Sarah, I'm sure you don't make these decisions entirely on your own," Kitty commented, "What does Saul think?"

"Saul's all for it. He thinks we have a huge opportunity on our hands and we need to take it," Sarah replied, "Maybe I am being paranoid. I'm just worried that my involvement with Graham might compromise my decision-making and if it did then I'd never be able to forgive myself."

"You said yourself this thing with Graham wasn't serious. Unless you're really falling for him then I don't think it's going to affect the way you do business," Kitty said gently, "And you know, even if you were...Sarah, there's a reason Dad left you as President of Ojai. God knows he made a lot of mistakes but I'm pretty sure he knew you'd always put this family first and you wouldn't let anything else interfere with your judgement. Not even by accident."

Sarah looked across at her younger sister and just smiled for a moment before she finished off the last of her mug of coffee. What Kitty had said about falling for Graham had for some reason stuck in her mind, but she did feel better about the decision she knew she had to make eventually.  
"You know, you're pretty good at the wise, supportive sister thing," Sarah remarked to Kitty, "And I think you'd be pretty great at the mom thing, too."

"Robert said that, too. As usual it came with a 'but' right after it," Kitty said with a slight sigh, "But you know, I think I like the fact that he doesn't always agree with me. Maybe that's why I feel like we still have that fire you were talking about."

"Well, give it a few more years," Sarah remarked nonchalantly as she stood up from her seat. Kitty vaguely heard her sister call out to Cooper about something, but she wasn't really paying much attention. She became lost in her thoughts momentarily and just smiled to herself.


	6. Part VI

**A/N:** I've been writing new chapters mostly at the weekend, but I had some time this week so you guys are getting your new chapter early! Hope you all enjoy Jason's guest appearance - I promise it won't be his only one. Reviews as always are much appreciated. Thanks so much to SuperDooperMario and sprangster for your reviews.  
**  
Part VI**

Robert McCallister only had to glance in the mirror once to know that the suit jacket he'd tried on over his shirt just wasn't right. Turning towards the store assistant, he shook his head gently before he slipped the jacket off his shoulders.  
"Thanks," he said, "But it's not quite what I'm looking for."  
Having reassured the store assistant that there really weren't any other items he wanted to try, Robert slid back into his own jacket and made his way slowly out of the dressing rooms. He didn't have a lot of time left before his meeting on the Hill, but he wasn't all that worried about the fact that he still hadn't found a new suit. If he was being completely honest, he wasn't even one hundred percent sure what he was looking for at the moment, but he was sure he'd know it when he saw it. As he made his way through the store, Robert found himself pulled out of his own thoughts by the sound of his cell phone ringing. He glanced at the caller ID and was slightly surprised when he saw who was calling him.  
"Hey there, Jason," he said as he brought his phone to his ear with a smile.

"Hi, Robbie," Jason's voice said cheerfully, "Sorry, I called the house and Kitty told me you were in Washington for a few days. Is this a bad time?"

"No, you're fine," Robert replied, "This is the time in my schedule that's been assigned to shopping for a new suit."

"Never a dull moment in the life of a senator," Jason joked with a slight laugh, "So, have you found anything?"

"Not yet," Robert admitted, "I think I'll wait until I get back home and take Kitty with me. She has good taste. And, to be honest, a lot more patience."

"Well, most people are more patient than you," Jason noted, pausing for a moment before he said, "Kitty's actually kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. Is she going to Jack's soccer game next weekend?"

"Yeah, I think so," Robert replied, a slight crease appearing in his brow, "We haven't really talked about it but I know she's been wanting to go to one of his games for a while, and now that the campaign's over we've both got a lot more time."

"I was wondering if I'd be able to go, too," Jason explained, "Do you think it'll be awkward with Kitty there? I heard our family was pretty hard on Kevin at the wedding."

"Was in awkward when she brought you to Michigan?" Robert asked, not entirely sure what his brother was worried about, "I really don't think it'll be a problem."

"Well, no, but in Michigan we didn't really..." Jason started to explain.

"What happened between you and Kevin is between you and Kevin. I know that and so does Kitty," Robert interrupted, "And even if it is awkward, so what? I'm not about to let you avoid me and Kitty for the rest of your life. You're all I've got on my side when I'm up against five Walker siblings."

"Alright, Robbie," Jason replied, laughing again, "So I can come next weekend?"

"Of course you can come. We'll save you a seat," Robert told his brother with a smile, "Though I'm surprised you don't already have any big plans for next weekend."

"Well, it turns out making plans isn't as much fun when they're for one," Jason noted, "I'd really like to spend some time with family."

Robert's face fell slightly and he nodded his head despite the fact that Jason couldn't see him. Even though Jason had been back from Malaysia for a while now, Robert felt like he'd hardly seen him at all thanks to the campaign and he hadn't really had much of a chance to talk to him about Kevin. He had to admit that he was so used to having his wife and his children around him that it was easy to forget sometimes what it would be like not to have a family of his own.  
"I'm sorry, Jason," Robert said quietly into the phone. Glancing at his watch, he realised he needed to get back to his car and started to make his way towards the door with Jason still on the line.

"It's alright, Robbie," Jason replied calmly, "I'm doing my best to focus on the things that matter. It's like we said - we were both called to serve, right?"

"That doesn't mean you never feel lonely," Robert pointed out just before he stopped suddenly in his tracks. An item in one of the store windows had caught his eye and as he approached it a smile slowly spread across his lips. Absolutely everything about it reminded him of one person in particular and it was nothing short of perfect.  
"Listen, Jason, I have about five minutes of shopping time left before my meeting so I'd better go," he told him, "You should come over sometime when I'm back home."

"Sure, that'd be great. I'll talk to you soon," Jason said in response, "So I'm guessing you won't be coming home with a new suit?"

"I don't think so. But it doesn't matter," Robert stated as he looked past his reflection into the window, "I'll be coming home with a gift for my wife instead."


	7. Part VII

**A/N:** I really enjoyed writing this chapter so I think I'll just let you guys read it and say I hope that you like it too. Oh, just one thing - Rebecca gets mentioned in this chapter, so I just wanted to let you all know that she wasn't de-Walkered at the point where my fic began and I'm not planning on de-Walkering her. I know lots of people like Justin/Rebecca, but I always felt she fit in better as a sibling and I never really liked the Ryan storyline. As always, reviews are much appreciated. Thanks so much to sprangster for your great reviews, and I owe an apology to SuperDooperMario as Travis only gets mentioned in this chapter. I haven't forgotten your request, though, and I have some fun stuff planned for him and Kitty.  
**  
Part VII**

_OK, it's official_, Kitty Walker-McCallister thought as she fluffed up the pillows in the guest bedroom of her house, _I've turned into my mother_. Had anyone asked her, she didn't think she'd really have been able to say what exactly had been wrong with the bed before, yet here she was rearranging it anyway. Justin Walker, however, knew better than to say anything and instead remained standing in the doorway with a slightly bemused smile on his face.

"There you go," Kitty declared as she stood up straight, "I think that should be OK for you tonight."

"Thanks again for letting me stay here, Kitty," Justin said, making his way over to the bed and flopping down lazily on it, "Isaac didn't actually say he wanted me out of the house or anything, but I just kind of got this vibe. I've been feeling kind of like the third wheel lately at home."

"I can imagine," Kitty remarked, "Though I still think you're better off on your own than you were with Lena."

"Maybe. Probably," Justin acknowledged, "But at least we were having fun, you know? I don't really get to have a lot of fun these days."

Kitty bit down on her bottom lip slightly and perched herself on the end of the bed near Justin's feet. She folded her hands on her knees, letting her brother's words linger in the air for a moment before she spoke again.  
"Justin, you know I love you very much," she said, "And I know how difficult your recovery's been, but I'm not so sure that fun is what you need right now."

"Thanks, Kitty," Justin remarked sarcastically with a small smile before his expression became serious, "I know, I get it. Anyway, I think it'll be hard to find someone who wants to date a guy with no job who lives with his mom."

"Getting girls has never been a problem for you," Kitty pointed out with a small smile of her own, "But I don't know, if Isaac's going to be coming over more often...maybe you ought to try looking for a job and start thinking about moving to your own place. I just think you'd appreciate your spare time more if maybe you had a little less of it."

"Wow. Sometimes you're more of a mom than Mom," Justin joked, adding earnestly when his sister gave him a disapproving look, "I appreciate it, Kitty. And you're right about Isaac changing things. I mean, I haven't seen Mom this happy in a long time. D'you think he's going to stick around?"

"I don't know. I hope so, for Mom's sake," Kitty admitted, "Robert's thinking about hiring him permanently, but I don't know if Isaac will want that. He always told me he found the governing part far less interesting than the campaigning part."

"He might say yes if it means he can stay here in California," Justin remarked, pausing for a moment before he asked, "Do you think you and Robert will be doing any more campaigning soon?"

"Maybe," Kitty replied before she smiled slightly, "I know Robert won't want to stay put and I wouldn't ever expect him to. It's not who he is."

"It's not who you are, either," Justin remarked, glancing downwards momentarily, "I guess I've always kind of admired all the different things you've done and how far you managed to get with your career."

"Well, I'm old...er than you," Kitty pointed out, "You've still got plenty of time to get back on your feet. Metaphorically speaking, I mean. Literally speaking, I guess you're already back on your feet."

"Yeah, and I know I wouldn't be without you and Mom and Rebecca and everybody," Justin said quietly yet firmly, "That's also kind of why I asked if I could come over. Mom deserves some time to relax and not worry about me."

"Knowing Mom, she'll always be worrying about at least one of us," Kitty remarked, "But that was a nice thing to do. And you're always welcome here."

"That's good to know," Justin replied with a smile, "It's a shame Robert isn't around."

"I know. He'd have liked to see you," Kitty said, "But unfortunately he isn't back until Monday evening."

"Hey, doesn't that mean you're in charge of the office on Monday?" Justin enquired with a knowing smile.

"Well, technically Travis is in charge," Kitty explained, "But it won't be so bad. Thankfully I think most of the staff like me, despite the fact that I'm, well..."

"...sleeping with their boss?" Justin queried, his smile turning into a playful grin at his older sister.

"Well, that's one way of putting it," Kitty acknowledged before she stood to her feet, "You know where the bathroom is, right? I'm down the hall if you need anything."

"Don't worry, I'm all set," Justin replied, reaching for the remote control nearby, "You've even got a TV in here."

"Goodnight, Justin," Kitty told her brother, rolling her eyes ever so slightly at home. She slid her feet into her slippers as Justin bid her goodnight in return and then walked out of the guest room. She made her way slowly down the hallway towards hers and Robert's bedroom, slipping her dressing gown off along the way to reveal the cotton pyjamas she was wearing underneath. She got into her side of the bed and after a moment's thought picked up her reading glasses. Instead of continuing her own book, however, she found herself reaching across the empty side of the bed and grabbing the book that was sitting on on Robert's nightstand. She smiled when she realised the bookmark in it was one that she'd bought for him a few months ago. Just like her, Robert never folded over the pages of his books and insisted on using a bookmark, which in this particular book had been placed about halfway through the pages. Kitty ran her hands over the cover before she opened the book to the very first page and began to read.

_Two days later_...

Kitty Walker-McCallister closed the front door behind her and leant up against it momentarily, just thankful for the moment that she was home. Placing her bag down, she made her way quickly up the stairs and was soon stripping down to her underwear in the bathroom while she let the shower warm up momentarily. After the day she'd had at the office, there were only two things she wanted – one of them was in Washington, and the other was a hot shower.

Having slipped out of her underwear, Kitty stepped into the shower and closed her eyes, letting the water run over her face and her hair. It felt nice to let the water quite literally drown everything else out, although she found it hard to stop everything that had happened at work from replaying over and over in her head. Travis had decided that Robert not being there was an excuse for him to treat her essentially as his assistant, and though she'd soon put paid to that idea, it had still bothered her. Now that the campaign was over it seemed like everything had changed, and suddenly she wasn't so certain about the people at work liking her. Added to that was the fact that it had just been one of those days where everything she had tried to do had completely blown up in her face, and by the afternoon she just wanted to get out of there. Thankfully, the end of the day had finally come, and now she just wanted to try and relax with the knowledge that tomorrow would be different.

"Kitty?" she suddenly heard a familiar voice say, pulling her out of her thoughts. It took her a little while to realise who it was, but as she did a smile slowly spread across her lips. She was then slightly surprised to hear someone step into the shower behind her, and a few moments later she felt her husband's hands slide around her waist and his bare chest press up gently against her back. Her smile broadened and she felt her shoulders relax as Robert's lips made their way slowly up her left shoulder and neck, sending tingles down her spine.

"I heard the water running when I came in," Robert explained quietly in Kitty's ear, "I hope I'm not interrupting your shower."

"Not at all," Kitty whispered back, "You got here at the perfect time. How was Washington?"

"Stressful. I'll tell you about it later," Robert said, "It's good to be home. How was work?"

"Stressful," Kitty replied, "But you're right. Let's talk about it later."

Kitty slowly turned around to face her husband and smiled at him before she leant forwards and placed her lips on his. Her kisses were deep and passionate as her hands slid up his chest and neck until she ended up running her fingers through his short hair.

"You really are just what the doctor ordered," Robert remarked with a smile as Kitty's lips found their way to his ear, "You look great, honey."

"Of course I do. You've spent the weekend mostly with old men in suits," Kitty joked before she kissed him again and murmured against his lips, "Oh, and Robert? I missed you, too."  
Kitty pulled Robert gently towards one of the walls of the shower and soon felt the cold of the tiles against her back as she leant up against it. She held on to her husband and let him hold on to her, lifting her legs and letting out a gasp as she wrapped them around his waist. Her bad day at work really didn't seem so important anymore.


	8. Part VIII

**A/N: **There was quite a lot I wanted to include in this part so the result is a nice long chapter today for you guys to sink your teeth into. Hope you enjoy it! Reviews are always very much appreciated. I can't say thank you enough to sprangster, SuperDooperMario and kiefercarlos for reviewing. You guys really inspire me to continue writing this. Oh, one thing - I was wondering if you guys think the rating of this fic is OK as it is? I'd be very grateful for your opinions.

**Part VIII**

"I can't believe we're doing this," Kitty remarked to Robert, though not without a playful smile directed at him from over her shoulder, "What if somebody sees us?"

"Who's going to see us? The neighbours can't see in here unless they're all stood at their windows with binoculars," Robert pointed out as he followed Kitty down the stairs, "And if that's the case then we really ought to think about moving."

Kitty laughed before she glanced over her shoulder again and shot a fake disapproving look at Robert. She soon reached the bottom of the stairs and then turned and headed in the direction of the kitchen. Her hair was still slightly damp from the shower and it was swaying gently across her shoulders as she carried on through the doorway, well aware that her husband's eyes were most definitely on her.

"I just meant that we're not always alone. What if your kids were here?" Kitty asked, "I don't think they'd appreciate us walking around the house not wearing anything."

"Probably not. But hey, you're the one who wanted ice cream," Robert replied, smiling at Kitty as he caught up with her and leant in to kiss her, "And I do appreciate you walking around the house not wearing anything."

"I still want ice cream. I think I need to cool down after all of the, um...oh yeah, the coming home sex," Kitty whispered, smiling back at her husband as she returned his kiss, "And I'll admit I am enjoying the view."  
After gently pulling away from a grinning Robert, Kitty turned around to open the freezer. She soon found what she was looking for and pulled out a tub of ice cream before setting it down on the counter and grabbing two spoons from one of the drawers. Handing one of the spoons over to Robert, she took a seat and took the lid off the tub.  
"You have to admit I have a point, though," she remarked, "What if we had our own children?"

"We don't have our own children yet," Robert noted, sitting down opposite Kitty, "So let's enjoy the things we _can_ do."

Kitty had already thought up a retort to her husband, but what he had said replayed in her head before she spoke and she realised something about his choice of words.  
"Wait a minute, yet?" she echoed, looking across the table at him, "Robert, did you...?"

"I did what we agreed to do. I thought about it," Robert replied matter-of-factly. He reached forwards and wrapped his hands around the ice cream tub to soften it a little before he dipped his spoon into it and offered it to Kitty.

"Well, I did, too. And I talked to Sarah and I really think we should discuss this," Kitty replied, leaning forwards to eat the spoonful of ice cream, "Robert, I don't..."

"Can I go first?" Robert requested, continuing when Kitty nodded at him, "Kitty, I...when I married you I wasn't really thinking about us having kids. I should have, but the thought never really entered my mind. The thing is, I have kids, but my marriage with Courtney, it was never...it was never anything like what we have. When you and I got married, all I was thinking was that I wanted to dedicate myself to you. I wanted to be married to someone who didn't feel like a stranger to me. Someone who I'm madly in love with, someone who I'd be happy to spend all day with, someone who I could see myself being with for the rest of my life. And that's the way I feel about you. I wasn't thinking about kids because as far as I was concerned you were going to be my priority."

"That's...pretty hard to argue with, Robert," Kitty remarked, directing her gaze downwards at the table momentarily. Since her conversation with Sarah, she had been thinking, too, but she needed a few moments to put the words together properly in her head before she could tell Robert what she had decided. She ate a spoonful of ice cream with her own spoon before she put it down and gently wrapped her hands around her husband's free hand, which was resting on the table.  
"I want everything you just said, too. It took me so long to find someone I could see myself married to," she admitted quietly, "We never discussed having kids before we got married and I think that was my fault as much as yours. I didn't know that my feelings would change so much when I got pregnant. I do want to have a baby with you. But Robert, I want you more."

"I love you," Robert told Kitty quietly as he met her eyes and smiled at her, "And I'm glad you still want a baby because I do, too."

"What? You want a baby?" Kitty echoed, her eyes widening suddenly, "But, I thought you just..."

"I hadn't finished," Robert explained, still smiling, "Jason called when I was in Washington."

"And what, he convinced you that God wants you to have children?" Kitty queried, still looking like she was having a little trouble believing her husband.

"No, no. He wants to come to Jack's soccer game this weekend," Robert explained, "But he and I were talking and...Jason doesn't have a family of his own, Kitty. And I think he's feeling that even more than usual right now."

"Well, he could have had a gorgeous family with Kevin if he hadn't gone off to..." Kitty started before she received a disapproving look from Robert, "Sorry. Back to your story."

"Thank you," Robert replied, "So it got me thinking about what it must be like for you. It must be hard, being around Sarah's kids and going to their science fairs and their soccer games and their school plays and not having children of your own."

"Robert," Kitty spoke up evenly, "If you're saying yes to having a baby just because you feel sorry for me, then I don't think that's..."

"No, I'm not," Robert assured his wife, "I'm saying yes to having a baby because I love you and I've realised that I want to experience all those things with you. I want to be there when our baby's born, I want to be there with you to take him to school on his first day and I want to be there with you at his graduation. I don't think I'd want those things with anyone else but I want them with you."

"How do you know it's going to be a he?" Kitty queried quietly before she broke into a beaming smile. She reached across the table to take Robert's face in her hands as she kissed his lips several times.  
"I love you," she whispered to him, "So we're really going to start trying?"

"Honey, I think we already started trying about an hour ago," Robert pointed out with a cheeky smile before he added, "But I'd like to suggest something. You know, I was thinking that we weren't even trying when you got pregnant before."

"And your point is?" Kitty queried, arching an eyebrow slightly.

"My point is that maybe worrying about getting pregnant isn't going to help," Robert explained, "And I want to help. So, my suggestion is, we keep on having sex..."

"I like that idea," Kitty cut in immediately, smiling coyly at Robert when he blinked at her.

"... as usual," Robert finished, unable to hide a grin, "And just try not to stress over it or even think about it too much. In a way now is the perfect time for us because even if I do decide to run for Governor, it'll be at least a year before I start campaigning. And then if after a year you're still not pregnant, we can start looking at other options."

"I'm worried that I've left it too late. But I guess you're right, worrying isn't going to help things either way. Let's go with your approach," Kitty agreed as she reached forwards to stroke Robert's hair, "You're really sure about this?"

"Positive," Robert replied firmly, "This is one issue you won't find me wavering even slightly on."

"Well, you know I've always been a fan of strong, decisive leadership," Kitty remarked, "I can't believe the American people didn't think you deserved to be President."  
Robert didn't have anything to say to that, and Kitty noticed his smile falter very slightly. She could tell something was bothering him about his trip to Washington, but she knew he'd tell her when he was ready.  
"You know, it's not really that late," she said as she dipped her spoon into the tub of ice cream once more, "We could make the most of the time we have."

"That sounds like a very good idea," Robert remarked, "Although y'know I did bring you back something from Washington that I wanted to give you at some point."

"You did?" Kitty queried before she quickly decided, "Present first. Sex later."

"Come on, I think I left it in the living room," Robert said with a laugh before standing up and reaching out his hand for Kitty's. When she smiled at him he gently helped her out of her chair and led her out of the kitchen.

"Is that it?" Kitty asked when she spotted a relatively large white box sitting on their coffee table, "It looks too big for it to be jewellery."  
She took a seat on the couch and turned towards Robert, looking for some kind of hint as to what her gift might be, but he merely shook his head with a smile on his face. Kitty then reached forwards and pulled the box onto her lap before she carefully lifted off the lid. Inside, sitting in a bed of tissue paper, was a pair of elegant black high heeled shoes with an aesthetic that suggested their designer had somehow found the perfect balance between shoes that were great for going out and shoes that were appropriate for work. Kitty smiled from ear to ear as she carefully lifted first one shoe and then the other out of the box.

"To add to your collection," Robert explained with a smile, "I don't know, they...seemed to me like the kind of shoes you'd be able tell stories about someday."

"Thank you. They're...they're perfect," Kitty replied softly. Placing the box down momentarily on the coffee table, she took one of the shoes out and lifted her foot up to carefully slip it on. Once she was wearing both of them, she elegantly crossed her legs and glanced over at Robert, who had fallen silent.  
"What's wrong?" she asked him, well aware of where she had directed his gaze.

"Nothing. I didn't think you'd try them on right now," Robert admitted, his eyebrows slightly raised, "Though I'm very glad you did. That's a good look for you."

"Thank you. I think I'll save this particular look just for you, though," Kitty replied with a coy smile, "But I will be wearing these to work tomorrow. You're right, Robert. I think it was definitely about time I tried on some new shoes."


	9. Part IX

**A/N: **First of all, sorry about the delay. I've had a bit of a busy week and then haven't been feeling all too great over the weekend, but I sat down today at my netbook and here it is. I hope you all enjoy this slightly more _political_ chapter! Reviews are always very much appreciated. Thank you so much to sprangster, SuperDooperMario and to my new reviewer Donna. You guys never fail to make my day with your reviews.

**Part IX**

Robert McCallister heard the sound of his office door slowly opening and knew who was there even without looking up. Slipping off his glasses, he directed his gaze towards his visitor and smiled warmly at the one person who never needed to knock.  
"Hi, honey," he greeted her, "Nice shoes."

"Well, thank you, honey," Kitty replied, leaning across the desk to kiss Robert and add jokingly, "That lover of mine may be a lowly senator but he's still very generous."

"Make sure to tell Sarah that next time she asks about him," Robert teased, "I'm glad you like them."

"I especially like that after last night they already have a story to go with them," Kitty said quietly, exchanging a smile with her husband before she glanced around the room and asked, "So Isaac's definitely coming?"

"He should be here any minute," Robert replied with a nod, "And you're still OK with what we talked about this morning?"

"I think so, yes," Kitty said as she walked over to take a seat on the couch in Robert's office, "Though I'm not so sure Travis will be."

"Probably not, but I think the transition will be smoother this way," Robert explained, "I'm more worried about Isaac saying no."

"Well, if anyone can convince him, you can," Kitty pointed out, causing Robert to smile gratefully at her from his desk. She was just making herself comfortable on the couch when she heard a knock at the door and saw a familiar figure walk in shortly afterwards.

"Travis," Robert spoke up, "What a pleasant surprise."

"You...asked me to come in for a meeting," Travis pointed out, furrowing his brow at Robert with a confused expression while Kitty pressed her lips together to avoid saying anything.

"Joke, Travis," Robert noted, shaking his head slightly, "Sit down. We're just waiting for Isaac to get here."

"Isaac?" Travis queried, sitting down next to Kitty and turning towards her, "The campaign's over. Why do we need Isaac?"

"Hello to you, too, Travis," Kitty remarked with a pleasant smile, "It's exactly _because _the campaign's over that Robert has decided to do a little restructuring around the office and he just wants to talk to you and to Isaac."

"Am I being fired and replaced with Isaac?" Travis asked, but Kitty was mercifully spared of having to answer him by another knock at the door. After Robert had called out for whoever it was to come in, Kitty glanced over and smiled as Isaac himself made his way into the office.

"Sorry I'm late. I think the traffic on the way over was worse than in Washington," Isaac said as he closed the door behind him, "Nice to see you, Robert, Kitty. Travis."

"Thanks for coming, Isaac," Robert spoke up, "I don't want to take up too much of anybody's time, so can we get straight to business?"

"Of course," Travis replied, "I just want to know, am I getting fired? Because you know, you already fired all my staff during the campaign, so..."

"No, you're not getting fired," Robert informed Travis, "But things have changed. We're not trying to win an election anymore – for now, our focus has to be doing what's best for California, and I think some changes need to be made around here to reflect that. Travis, you know that there's no need for a campaign manager around here anymore, but I appreciate all you did for the campaign and I would like to keep you on board. As Deputy Communications Director."

"Deputy Communications Director?" Travis echoed, his gaze moving back and forth between Robert and Kitty, "But she's your Communications Director, so..."

"So I'm sure you and Kitty will make a great team working on Communications," Robert interrupted, "Was that a yes or a no?"

" I don't want to lose this job," Travis admitted, "But Senator, I'm used to being campaign manager. You're saying that now I'm working for Kitty?"

"Well, you should probably get used to it," Robert remarked, adding before Travis had a chance to say anything further, "Anyway, excellent. Glad to still have you on board. Kitty?"

"But, you..." Travis started to protest, but Robert was too busy exchanging a look with Kitty to notice and Kitty's voice soon interrupted him.

"Isaac, Robert and I have been talking and...well, first of all we'd like to thank you for all the work you've done. You were definitely an asset to the campaign and we both agree that it would be a real shame to lose your expertise," Kitty explained, directing her gaze towards Isaac, "So, we were wondering if you would consider staying on as a consultant."

"You're offering me a permanent job?" Isaac queried, pausing for a moment before he said, "I'm honoured, Kitty. And, I have to say, a little surprised. But you know me. I've spent my whole life wading through all the trash that builds up during political campaigns so that I can get people elected. It's what I know. I don't really stick around for the part after that."

"Because it's the boring part, right?" Robert said bluntly, "Look, believe me, when Kitty first hired you, I never thought I'd want you working for me under any circumstances. Honestly, I don't know if I'll ever be able to be completely forgive you for what you did to my brother. But I can see now that Kitty was right and you are very good at what you do. The truth is that trash doesn't just build up during a campaign – when you're a public figure, they're throwing it at you all the time and trying to make it stick. I know I'm divorced with kids and that I remarried and I'm not everyone's idea of what a perfect Republican senator should be, but I don't want all of that to take away from my ability to do my job. I want to not have to worry about it, and I think you're the ideal man to worry about it for me. They say politicians campaign in poetry and govern in prose, but I think there's a lot to be said for prose. You think the part after elections are over isn't interesting? For me, it's the most satisfying. It's the part where you can really make a difference and try to do the things that you only talked about doing before. Put your money where your mouth is. Instead of talking about all the great things your candidate has done, see it for yourself. And who knows, maybe in a year's time there'll be a new campaign for you to work on and then you'll really know who you're fighting for."

Isaac glanced upwards, holding Robert's gaze for a moment before a small smile appeared on his face and he very slowly nodded. He didn't look completely convinced yet, but it was obvious that Robert's words had given him more to think about.  
"I'll definitely consider your offer," he decided, "And get back to you within a week, if that's alright with you."

"Now hold on just a minute," Travis spoke up, "You're practically begging him to take a job and he's hardly even done anything for us. I've been here forever and I get demoted to..."

"Quiet, Travis," Kitty instructed the new Deputy Communications Director before she smiled at Isaac, "Thank you, Isaac. I appreciate it."

"Yeah, so do I," Robert agreed, walking around his desk to shake Isaac's hand as the other man stood to his feet, "Think about it."

"I will," Isaac assured Robert as he returned the handshake, "Oh, and Kitty, you should stop by to see your mother sometime. She keeps asking about you."

"Really?" Kitty queried, raising her eyebrows slightly, "Well, I heard from Justin that you two had been spending a lot of time together and I didn't want to intrude on anything."

"I don't know exactly what you heard from Justin," Isaac said, sounding slightly suspicious, "But your mother and I are enjoying getting to know each other. And she keeps asking about you in that roundabout way of hers. 'I wonder what Kitty's been doing lately. I've barely heard from her since Robert lost, but then I guess she's probably busy...'"

"That sounds like my mother, alright," Kitty remarked with a knowing smile, "I'll stop by one of these days."

"I think she'd appreciate it. It's been good seeing you. And you, Robert," Isaac added, "I'll be in touch."

Kitty stood up and walked over to hug Isaac goodbye befo she made her way over to her husband. She placed her hand gently on his arm and lowered her voice as she spoke to him, aware that Travis was still in the room.  
"That was pretty impressive, Senator," she remarked, "I think you might have almost convinced him."

"I hope so. I learnt from the best," Robert replied quietly with a smile, "Listen, I don't think I'm going to need to stay until late tonight. Do you want to leave your car here and drive home with me tonight? I'll cook you dinner."

"Now there's a good idea. Let's be honest, it'll certainly taste a lot better than if I cook dinner," Kitty admitted, smiling back at Robert, "I'd love that."

"Don't mind me," Travis piped up from where he was still sat on the couch, "I'll just be sitting here."

Robert's smile soon disappeared and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes, settling instead for just exchanging a look with his wife.  
"I'll meet you here at the end of the day," he told her quietly, "Are you OK with getting Travis up to speed with everything?"

"I can handle him," Kitty assured Robert, leaning forwards to kiss him gently on the lips, "I'll see you later."  
After gently pulling away from her husband, Kitty turned towards Travis and beckoned for him to come with her as she made her way out of the office. She could tell he wasn't in a particularly good mood from essentially having just been demoted, but she just hoped he wouldn't want to do much talking. She'd had enough of that the day before to last her a lifetime.

"What did Robert mean when he said I should probably get used to it?" Travis spoke up, interrupting Kitty's blissful silence, "Is he thinking of making you Chief of Staff or something?"

"Robert's never had a Chief of Staff," Kitty pointed out simply, "And you'd have to ask Robert what he meant because even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you."

"Of course you wouldn't," Travis remarked, shaking his head slightly, "You know, you make it very difficult for the rest of us, sometimes."

"What do you mean I make it difficult?" Kitty asked, a little taken aback by Travis's words. She had a feeling that she really wasn't going to like what she was about to hear.

"Well, I don't mean to be callous, Kitty," Travis replied, "But, looking at it objectively here, you being who you are puts us all in an awkward position. We can't question your decisions as Communications Director because you're the Senator's wife, and we can't address any issues we have with your image as his wife because you're also Communications Director."

"Travis, can I ask you a question? Why do you always say you don't mean to be callous before you say something incredibly callous?" Kitty wondered, "I'm sorry you feel that way, but what do you expect me to do? I can't get a divorce just so it'll be less awkward for you and the rest of the staff. And what issues do you have with my image, anyway?"

"Well, Kitty, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but some of us think that you weren't a lot of help during the campaign," Travis explained, "And some of us are of the opinion that he might have lost it because of you. It's difficult, Kitty, being a wife in front of the cameras and a Communications Director behind the scenes. I'm not blaming you. But maybe in trying to be good at two things sometimes you end up not being very good at either."

"Travis," Kitty said as evenly as she could manage, "Robert lost the primaries because the Republican Party's base decided that Russell was their candidate and they haven't yet woken up to the fact that this party needs to change. But if he'd won the primary then I know for a fact that he'd be President right now, because Robert can cross party lines and he would've been able to win everyone we need from the Independents to the leftover Reagan Democrats. He's my husband and I will always support him, but that's not the reason I know that - I know that because I started working in politics a long time before I met Robert. And I don't like the implication that being married to him means I can no longer do my job."

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry I said anything," Travis remarked, lifting his hands momentarily in mock surrender, "I need to go fetch a couple of things from my office then you can tell me all about how you run the Communications Department."

Kitty nodded and watched Travis walk away as her grip tightened slightly on the folder she was holding underneath her arm. She was pretty annoyed by what Travis had said, and a part of her was quite appalled by the fact that it seemed as though a fair portion of the staff thought she was to blame for Robert having lost the presidential race. As mad as she was, though, there was another part of her that couldn't help but wonder if maybe they were right.


	10. Part X

**A/N: **First of all, a quick correction - at the end of the previous chapter I called Robert's opponent (who won the Republican primary) Russell and his name is actually Taylor. I have no idea where Russell came from! Sorry about that. Second, I was going to say I really enjoyed writing this chapter but who am I kidding, I enjoy writing them all! I'm so thankful for all the people out there who are reading this fanfic and enjoying it too, so thank you Donna and SuperDooperMario for your reviews. I can't believe I'm at Part X already! There's a character who makes a surprise appearance in this one, but in the interests of keeping it a surprise I'm not saying who :P Hope you like it and, as always, reviews are very much appreciated.

**Part X**

Despite having quite a vast and beloved shoe collection, Kitty Walker-McCallister had always found that for some reason she had never cared much for slippers. Thankfully, it was a relatively warm evening and so it didn't really matter that she was barefoot as she made her way down the stairs, dressed in a lilac silk nightdress that stopped just above her knees and was covered by a matching dressing gown. It was already starting to get late and so she was slightly surprised to enter the living room and find her husband exactly how she had left him – sitting on the couch with his laptop open and still working. She made her way over to Robert and stood behind the couch, leaning forwards to rest her arms gently on his shoulders.

"Well, that was disappointing," she remarked playfully, "I was hoping you'd make another surprise appearance in my shower."

"I'm sorry. I should've," Robert replied with a smile, turning his head to look at Kitty, "It would've been a lot better than sitting here and staring at this thing."

"There does come a point where you're not really working anymore and you're just staring," Kitty remarked, gently kissing Robert on the cheek before she started to make her way around the couch, "Is something on your mind?"

"A few things. I'm just a little frustrated. I feel like I've been saying to everybody that we need to be focusing on California now and yet I don't feel focused myself. And then there's..." Robert paused for a moment as Kitty came into his line of sight, "Hey, you look nice. Is that new?"

"Oh, thank you. Yeah, it is, actually," Kitty replied with a smile as she sat down next to him, "So what were you saying, honey?"

"Oh, I don't know know. I think I just need to get used to life as a non-presidential candidate," Robert admitted, slipping his arm around his wife, "Going back to Washington was kind of a wake-up call."

"It is a big change," Kitty pointed out. She had settled in comfortably next to Robert and reached forward to run her fingers gently through his hair as she spoke to him.  
"I've felt it too," she added, "Campaigning takes up so much of your life and then all of a sudden it stops and you're not completely sure what you're meant to be doing."

"Exactly," Robert replied, "I want to move forwards and focus on the next thing, but I can't stop thinking about the campaign. I keep picturing all these different scenarios and wondering if maybe I'd done something or I hadn't done something else then things would be different."

Kitty bit down on her lower lip slightly and fell silent for a moment as she carried on stroking Robert's hair.  
"You weren't campaigning on your own, Robert," she reassured him, "And I don't think people lose campaigns on moments, anyway. It's impossible to pinpoint the moment where we lost the campaign because it doesn't exist. You know as well as I do that it's always complicated and there are always a number of reasons, some of which are completely independent of us and the campaign itself."

"Yeah, I know you're right," Robert said, "But I'll tell you one thing, I don't think I realised before now just how much being a presidential candidate affected me as a senator. I mean, for a while I was the frontrunner. I was in the spotlight and I...I should have used it better. People were really listening to me on Capitol Hill. Now it's like I've gone from being...starting quarterback to second string."

"Then you need to yell louder," Kitty told Robert as she held his gaze for a moment, "If nobody's listening anymore, you need to yell louder. Your actions will speak for themselves, Robert. You and I and the rest of the staff need to start being more aggressive about fighting for the bills we believe in and people will start paying attention again. And then you'll have one hell of a track record when you run for Governor or even for President again. We can make it happen and we will."

Robert smiled at his wife and pulled her a little closer on the couch, letting her drape her legs over his so that she was almost sitting on his lap. He then didn't have to lean very far forwards to kiss her slowly on the lips.  
"I'm very lucky that I have you as my Communications Director," he said softly.

"Don't say that," Kitty remarked, "The only thing I've done since I became your Communications Director was lose a campaign."

"Well, I'm sure without you I would've lost really, really badly. I lost pretty respectfully," Robert replied, causing Kitty to laugh slightly, "But in that case, I'm still very lucky that I have you as my wife."

"You're not the only lucky one. My husband cooked tonight," Kitty informed Robert with a smile, adding, "Thanks for dinner."  
Still leaning in close to her husband, Kitty moved her head slightly and nuzzled into his neck before she began to plant gentle kisses there. She smiled again as she heard Robert make a small, contented sound in the back of his throat.

"You're welcome," Robert murmured, "Honey, that feels really good."

Kitty's lips continued to travel slowly down Robert's neck as she shifted herself on the couch so that she was almost facing him. As she reached the dip where his neck finished, she began to unbutton the shirt he was still wearing and kiss her way down his chest as each button came undone.  
"What about this?" she whispered to Robert as she noticed him close his eyes.

Robert was finding it hard to form words to answer, but before he even had a chance to say anything he was taken out of the moment quite suddenly by the sound of the doorbell ringing. His eyes opened involuntarily, but he forced himself to close them again.  
"Don't answer it," he said to Kitty.

"Good idea," Kitty agreed, but then a thought occurred to her as the doorbell went again and she paused, lifting her head so that she was at eye level with Robert, "Who'd be stopping by at this time?"

Robert exchanged a look with Kitty for a moment and then nodded, realising that they couldn't really just ignore the doorbell, which was still going. It was pretty late, and if someone was calling at this hour then it was probably important.  
"Do you want me to get it?" he asked Kitty as he began to button his shirt back up again.

"No, it's alright," Kitty replied, "Leave it to me."  
She slowly stood up from the couch and adjusted her dressing gown slightly before making her way over to the door, quite curious about whoever it was who was ringing the doorbell so insistently. She couldn't help but hope that it was nothing urgent and something that could be resolved easily so that she could get back to her evening. When she reached the door and pulled it open, Kitty realised that she should have known who was outside.  
"Mom?" she said, frowning slightly at her, "What are you doing here?"

"Why did you have to go and offer him a job?" Nora Walker asked immediately, not bothering with any formalities as she stepped inside the house, "Oh, Kitty, you should have talked to me first."

"What?" Kitty queried, "Who? What are you talking about?"

"Isaac!" Nora explained, "Who else would I be talking about?"

"Mom, I don't understand," Kitty said, trying her best to stay calm as she shut the door behind her mother, "What happened to Isaac?"

Nora looked at her daughter momentarily as if she really should be able to guess what had happened, but when Kitty's look remained blank Nora merely sighed deeply as she heard Robert's footsteps come up behind her.  
"He's gone," she declared, "Isaac's gone back to Washington."


	11. Part XI

**A/N:** Sorry about the delay on this chapter. I've been pretty busy this week because it was my birthday on Tuesday and also because I'm going back to university on Friday. And on that note, I also just wanted to let you know that because of me going back to university, my new chapters will probably be coming less frequently than they have been lately. I love writing them and I love reading your reviews, so I hope you'll continue to read them and enjoy them. I hope this chapter was worth the wait and that you guys enjoy it! Reviews as always are much appreciated. Thank you to sprangster, Donna and SuperDooperMario for your reviews - they all came in around my birthday, so they were a nice present! :) Also, I can't believe I've now hit 20 reviews! Thank you so much again, you guys make me want to keep writing.

**Part XI**

Robert had known that he and Kitty were going to regret answering the doorbell almost as soon as he had heard it ring, but he was regretting it even more by the time he stepped into the hallway from the living room. The look on his wife's face already told him most of what he needed to know, and it didn't take long for his mother-in-law's voice to fill in the blanks.  
"Isaac's gone?" Robert queried, causing Nora to turn around and look at him, "That's impossible. He said that he would let us know within a week if he wanted to take the job."

"Well, unless he got out of my car at the airport and jumped straight back into a cab, it's possible," Nora informed Robert, "And I'm pretty sure they do have phones in Washington, Robert, so I think you're pretty safe to assume he'll still be able to let you know. Your job offer is what made him decide to go back."

"OK, Mom, you're not making a whole lot of sense, but can we just pause this conversation for one minute?" Kitty asked, "I'll be right back."

Nora nodded, upon which Kitty thanked her and turned to make her way quickly up the stairs. In the meantime, Nora contented herself with glaring at Robert, who suddenly became very aware of the fact that his hair was slightly ruffled and his shirt was a little creased. Part of him wanted to say something, but it was at times like this that he remembered he didn't really know his mother-in-law all that well, and he still wasn't sure exactly how much he _should_ say. Thankfully, Kitty didn't take very long and he soon heard the sound of her footsteps coming back down the stairs. Robert wasn't completely sure why she had gone up there, since she hadn't returned looking any different or carrying anything, but there were more pressing matters to deal with for the moment.

"Alright, Mom, let's talk about this," Kitty said with a slightly frustrated sigh as she folded her arms, "Start from the beginning and tell us what happened with Isaac. Did you two have a fight or something?"

"No, of course we didn't have a fight. We didn't even have a disagreement," Nora replied matter-of-factly, "He just came to the house and I was making dinner for both of us and he said he'd had a meeting with you and with Robert. He said you'd offered him a permanent job here in California and...Kitty, why didn't you talk to me?"

"Talk to you?" Kitty echoed in disbelief, pausing for a moment before she stated, "Look, Mom, I know you've been seeing a lot of Isaac lately and believe me, I'm very happy for you, but I've known him for a long time and Robert and I both agree that he'd be a great asset to us. Offering him a job has nothing to do with you."

"Of course it has to do with me. Don't you understand what you did?" Nora almost pleaded, "You put Isaac in a position where he has to decide within a week if he wants to leave his family and his whole life in Washington to move to California and be with me and we barely know each other, Kitty. It's too soon in a relationship to have to make that kind of decision about our future."

"Well, Mom, for one I think you're overreacting..." Kitty started to say as she edged closer to Robert and slipped her hand into his.

"Of course you do," Nora interrupted briskly, "You barely understand the concept of taking things slowly in a relationship. How long did you two wait before you got married?"

"Hey, now that is not fair," Kitty snapped, "You have no right to judge me or Robert. We're old enough to make our own decisions and we did what felt right to us."  
Kitty briefly exchanged a look with Robert that was enough for her to confirm she was saying what he wanted to say. She took a few deep breaths for a moment as her husband stepped in.

"I realise we might have put you in a complicated position, Nora," Robert said evenly, "But we didn't really have much of a choice. We couldn't exactly wait around for you to give us your approval before we offered Isaac a job because we need someone like him now. You have to keep your personal life separate from politics and that's just the way it is. Though I still don't get why he's supposedly gone back to Washington."

"Oh, please. You two don't know the meaning of keeping your personal lives separate from your politics," Nora noted before she let out a small sigh, "Isaac's gone back to Washington to make a decision. He...he told me that he was going to talk to his family and get a few things in order and go from there."

"Oh," Kitty said, raising her eyebrows slightly, "Well, that doesn't sound so terrible. It sounds to me like he's getting ready to move over here."

"He's not coming back," Nora said with a shake of her head, "One day if you have your own family you'll understand, Kitty, but I just have a feeling that as soon as he sets eyes on his children, he won't want to come back. And I don't exactly blame him. I mean, what I have with him...I don't even know what it is. He's just such a wonderful man and we always had such a great time together."

Kitty exchanged another look with Robert, slightly annoyed that her mother was reminding her in the worst possible way that she still wasn't a mother, but she swallowed her pride and walked over to slip her arm comfortingly around Nora.  
"Mom, I'm sorry you had to drop Isaac off the airport today. That must have been really hard to do," she said gently, "But I've known Isaac for longer than you, and I really do think he's going to come back. Now why don't you head on home and get some rest and make sure Justin hasn't burnt down the house or anything and we'll talk better tomorrow, OK? I'll stop by and see you."

"Oh, Justin's not there," Nora remarked absently, "He agreed to babysit for Sarah while she's out on a date with Graham. I guess it's just going to be me alone in that big old house tonight."

Kitty saw the lonely look on her mother's face and closed her eyes regretfully for a moment as she realised what she had to do. As much as she wanted to just send her mother home, she knew that she'd only end up feeling guilty about it afterwards.  
"Robert, can I talk to you for a minute?" she requested of her husband, "Mom, feel free to sit down and do whatever you want. I'll be right back."

"Oh, well, alright then," Nora replied before she glanced over at Robert only to see that, like her, he also looked slightly puzzled. She shrugged her shoulders slightly and walked into the living room to sit down on the couch while Kitty made her way over to Robert and took his hand again.

"What's going on, honey?" Robert asked quietly as Kitty gently pulled him into the kitchen.

"You're not going to like this," Kitty admitted, turning to face her husband, "But honey, I think we should ask my mom if she wants to stay over tonight. Justin's not at home and she just had to say goodbye to Isaac and I know we didn't do anything wrong but I do kind of feel responsible."

Robert sighed deeply and thought for a moment before he slowly nodded. He slid his hands around Kitty's waist, resting them on her silk dressing gown as he brought her a little closer and smiled at her.  
"You shouldn't feel responsible. Though it's kind of endearing that you do," he remarked in a hushed tone, "I think the guest room still has sheets from when Justin was here."

"Thank you, honey," Kitty replied simply with a smile back, sighing and adding quietly, "Believe me, I had plans for tonight that I'd much rather...well, you know, I suppose we still could..."

"With your mom in the next room?" Robert queried, raising an eyebrow at Kitty and chuckling slightly.

"Well, we could be very quiet..." Kitty suggested with a small laugh of her own.

"And there's always downstairs..." Robert added, grinning as leant forwards to kiss Kitty's lips.

"Good point. We'd have to hope Mom doesn't come down for a glass of water," Kitty agreed with another laugh after returning her husband's kiss, "I promise we'll find a way. I don't want this to ruin our night. Anyway, Mom should be supportive. We're trying to give her another grandchild."

"I love you, honey," Robert remarked with a grin, "Let me get your mom something to drink. Do you want anything?"

"No, just you," Kitty replied with a smile of her own, "I'll go tell Mom she can stay."

"Oh, Kitty?" Robert spoke up, causing Kitty to turn around on her way towards the door, "Before, when your mom had just arrived, what did you go upstairs for?"

"When...oh, yeah. That," Kitty said, having taken a moment to realise what Robert was talking about, "I remembered I wasn't wearing any underwear."  
Kitty saw Robert's eyes widen as he raised both his eyebrows and she merely smiled coyly at him before she turned around once more, making her way slowly back to the living room.


	12. Part XII

**A/N:** I'm sorry this chapter has taken so long to come out. I've been crazy busy with University and the newspaper, but I have absolutely no intention of abandoning this fic. There's just going to be more time between updates unfortunately! Apart from during the holidays, haha. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and that it will be worth the wait. As always, reviews are very much appreciated. Thank you so much to Kiefercarlos, D, Donna, potocerk and SuperDooperMario for your reviews!**  
**

**Part XII**

Kitty made a small, soft noise in the back of her throat and slowly turned her head, opening her eyes and glancing up to find herself staring at a ceiling that was slightly unfamiliar compared to the one in her bedroom. It took her a few moments to realise that she was curled up with her husband and resting her head on his chest, her body covered by the throw which usually lived on the back of the couch that they were currently occupying. She smiled to herself and watched Robert's chest rise and fall for a few moments before she ran her hand gently up his body and glanced upwards, trying to figure out if he was still asleep.

"Hey," Robert murmured, his eyes still closed, "Don't worry, it's still early."

"Hey," Kitty whispered back, shifting herself up to kiss her husband just underneath his ear, "How long have you been awake?"

"Not that long. I've been trying to get back to sleep," Robert admitted, opening his eyes and pausing for a moment to smile at Kitty, "I feel like I should be more tired after last night."

"Mmm, me too. Maybe we were enjoying ourselves too much to get tired," Kitty suggested as she smiled in return. She slowly rolled over from lying on her side to face her husband and let him wrap his arms around her back as she placed her lips on his, lingering on each kiss.  
"You know, I think I the couch is my favourite out of the places we tried last night," she mused, "I'm so glad we decided to go downstairs."

"Me too," Robert replied, adding, "But I don't know, I'm torn between the couch and the armchair."

"I could tell you liked the armchair," Kitty murmured with a coy smile, "You said it's still early, right? So we have time."

"Lots of time," Robert affirmed, nodding emphatically at his wife before he returned to kissing her. No sooner had the words left his mouth than they both heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs and quickly realised that they weren't the only ones already awake. Kitty instinctively rolled over to one side and was only prevented from falling off the couch by Robert's arms, which held on tightly onto her. She tried her best to breathe quietly and then exhaled deeply when it became clear that Nora had walked past the living room and was heading towards the kitchen.

"Thanks," Kitty whispered to Robert, doing her best to stifle a laugh as he brought her back onto the couch again fully.

"What were you trying to do?" Robert whispered back with a bemused smile, "Make a quick getaway and leave me here to face your mom?"

"I don't know, I panicked. Believe it or not, I don't have any past experience getting caught making out with my husband on the couch," Kitty replied, smiling back at Robert and kissing him quickly before she slowly sat up and stepped down onto her feet. She glanced around for her underwear and nightdress, quickly slipping them on as she found them.  
"I should've remembered my mom likes getting up before everybody else," Kitty remarked before she suggested to Robert, "Go back upstairs, honey. I'll make us some breakfast and bring it up in a few minutes. Getting up early has to have some advantages."

"Breakfast in bed?" Robert said, breaking into a smile, "What's the occasion?"

"A very memorable night," Kitty replied, leaning in for one more quick kiss before she turned around and walked away, leaving her husband with a broad grin on his face. She couldn't resist a smile of her own accompanied by a very slight blush as she walked past one of the armchairs in the living room.  
Making her way through the corridor in the direction of the kitchen, Kitty found herself feeling slightly nervous about facing her mother even though she knew it didn't make any sense. She was an adult, this was her house, and the time she spent with her husband was no-one's business but theirs, yet she still felt a little like a teenager worried about getting caught with her boyfriend. It was slightly ironic, she mused, especially considering that her mother was the liberal Democrat of the family and she was the conservative Republican.

"Kitty?" Nora's surprised voice said as she saw someone step into the kitchen, "Is that you?"

"Good morning, Mom," Kitty replied, turning her back towards her mother as she quickly walked over and opened the door to the refrigerator.

"What are you doing here?" Nora asked, blinking confusedly at her daughter, "You're never awake at this time."

"You make it sound like I sleep in every day. You're the one who doesn't have a job," Kitty pointed out, taking a deep breath and turning around once she had everything she needed from the fridge, "Robert's awake, too. I guess we both woke up before our alarm for some reason."

"Well, I have to admit, today is one day when I'd have liked to have slept in," Nora remarked from where she was sat at the kitchen table, "Did you hear them last night?"

"Hear them?" Kitty echoed, suddenly standing slightly straighter than usual, "Hear who?"

"The cats! Well, I think they had to have been cats. They were making so much noise last night," Nora explained, "I think they were fighting or mating or who knows. I don't know how you didn't hear them."

Kitty's mouth opened slightly for a moment but no sound came out. After a few moments she managed to garble something about having a deep sleep and having to go, then surprised Nora by practically running from the kitchen without even taking anything she'd grabbed from the fridge. The nearest room Kitty could see as she made her way down the corridor was the downstairs bathroom, and she kind of needed to go anyway, so she darted into it and quickly shut the door behind her. Resting her back against the door, she covered her mouth with her hand, caught somewhere halfway between shock and holding back her own laughter.

In the meantime, after having slipped on his boxers, Robert had made his way upstairs and was lounging in bed waiting for Kitty to return. He had started to wonder if his wife was preparing a breakfast fit for royalty, since she seemed to be taking quite a long time, and he had ended up reaching over to her bedside table to have a look at what book she was currently reading.  
After reading the blurb on the back, Robert had got through the first five pages or so when he heard the door open and glanced up at the door with a smile. As soon as he saw Kitty, however, his smile vanished completely. He didn't need to hear her say anything to be able to tell that there was something wrong. She was walking slowly with her arms folded against her chest and her gaze was directed squarely at the floor.

"Kitty?" he asked quietly as he placed the book down, "What happened?"

"What? Oh my God, sorry, I forgot breakfast," Kitty realised as she glanced up at Robert, "I'm so sorry, Robert. I'll go make it."

"Hey, come here. I don't care about breakfast," Robert said, sitting up and patting the side of the bed next to him for Kitty to come sit down. He could see tears brimming in the corners of her eyes as she stepped closer and was trying to think what could possibly have happened.  
"Kitty," he said gently, "Tell me what's wrong."

"Oh, Robert, it's so stupid," Kitty replied, glancing up for a moment and taking a deep breath, "I just...I just went to the bathroom and I...I got my period. And I wasn't...I hadn't taken a test or anything, but I was a few days late and I guess I had just started to hope that maybe..."  
Robert's mouth twisted slightly before he pulled Kitty in closer and wrapped his arms around her, letting her sink into his embrace as she sniffed again several times to avoid letting any tears fall. She curled up against his chest and closed her eyes momentarily.  
"I told you," she whispered to him, "Really stupid."

"It's not stupid," Robert said simply. He wished there was more that he could say and that he could somehow promise Kitty that it would all work out, but he knew he couldn't. For now, all he could do was hold her.


End file.
